Steamboat Springs — The public is invited to an event Saturday to celebrate a piece of property that has been conserved, providing the public access to a pristine part of the Yampa River.

The Hubbard Summer Camp property at Sarvis Creek was purchased for the public in December 2014. Volunteers have been making improvements to the 43-acre property three miles downstream from Stagecoach Reservoir.

“This property is extremely important, both from a conservation perspective and as a place where people can fish, hunt and hike,” BLM Little Snake Field Office field manager Wendy Reynolds said in a news release. “Now that it is publicly owned, we can manage it for its valuable fish and wildlife habitat and to open access to experience exceptional angling in Colorado.”

The celebration will be from noon to 2 p.m., and attendees will include representatives of Western Rivers Conservancy, the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Forest Service and the Yampa River System Legacy Partnership.

Guests are asked to park at the Sarvis State Wildlife Area. There will be signs directing people along a short trail to the historic cabin. To get to the Sarvis State Wildlife Area, take U.S. Highway 40 three miles south to Colorado Highway 131. Follow Colo. 131 for 3.5 miles west and south to Routt County Road 18. Take RCR 18 for seven miles. The last three miles of this drive are on a rough dirt road.

Efforts to conserve the Hubbard Summer Camp property picked up in 2011 when the Yampa River System Legacy Partnership wanted the property included in the America’s Great Outdoors initiative. The BLM then approached Western Rivers Conservancy about acquiring and conserving the property.

Western Rivers Conservancy purchased the property in 2013 and began working to assemble the funding to allow the BLM and Forest Service to acquire the lands.

“We immediately recognized the need to protect it and make it accessible,” Western Rivers Conservancy President Sue Doroff said. “It’s a special place, with outstanding conservation values and great potential for low-impact recreation.”

With support from the Yampa River System Legacy Partnership, Western Rivers Conservancy conveyed the property to the BLM and Forest Service so it could be forever managed for conservation and recreation.

“What a great example of how powerful partnerships can be,” Forest Service Yampa District ranger Basia Trout said. “This is a major accomplishment to improve public access for multiple uses, and it should be celebrated.”

In addition to the trophy trout in the Yampa River, the Hubbard Summer Camp supports elk, mountain lion, black bear and dusky grouse.

To reach Matt Stensland, call 970-871-4247, email mstensland@SteamboatToday.com or follow him on Twitter @SBTStensland